Dancing with Demons
by blessifier
Summary: Mikan has finally transferred to the prestigious Alice University, which is known for its Music Majors. However, on her first day, she meets a cranky office clerk, a sassy yet split-personality chick, a flirty student teacher, and a jerk face who's apparently a BEAKdancer. I'm sure we can all guess who that certain jerk face is.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The hot summer month of August dragged itself across the bustling city of Tokyo. The sky was a smoggy blue as the sun pierced straight through and into the heart of Alice University campus. As torturous as the weather was, the students comfortably indulged in the air-conditioned classrooms, that is, until class was over. They would either linger for a few more minutes or step back into the scorching heat.

Mikan Sakura was as lost as ever, dragging herself back to the outside directory every five minutes. Her brain sizzled into a lump as her eyes struggled to open through the humidity. After countless circles, she finally bought an iced water bottle from an outside vendor and collapsed on a shady bench.

With a simple yet forceful twist of the cap, she brought the cooled bottle to her lips and gasped in delight when the icy water trickled down her esophagus. Mikan shivered to the cold contrast while bringing the bottle's side to her forehead. Another sigh of relief came from her lips as she leaned back.

It was her first day at Alice University, and it was already hell. She picked at her white button-up shirt, which clung to her body and revealed a black tank top inside, and she proceeded to flap an edge in effort to cool her dehydrated body. Mikan was relieved that she chose a small bag over her backpack; it would've been ten times worse with a suffocated back. And she was more relieved that she chose to wear a tank top; Lord would've known what the white button-up shirt would reveal.

Mikan took another swig of chilled water and emitted a delighted sigh. She felt revitalized enough to stand and to walk away robotically from her oasis of paradise. Through the blinding rays of the sun, she squinted at the map and trailed her hazel orbs from the 'You are here' to the Administration building. After glancing at the compass, Mikan raced towards the library, averted a right through a shady trail, and followed in between the Music and the Humanities buildings. Before her eyes was the towering cathedral-like infrastructure that she had longed to see.

"I'm here…." she breathed at the surrealism. On either side of the Administration building were dormitories. Her cheeks flushed a blissful red. "I'm really going to enroll here!"

 **O w O**

A blast of cooled air greeted Mikan as she opened the door. A number of office clerks and a few college students turned their heads for a few seconds and turned back as if no one had entered. She breathlessly strolled to the sign 'LINE HERE' and welcomed the refreshing air that kissed her boiling skin.

"Next." A bored voice called out. Mikan stumbled to the front, muttering an accidental 'sorry' to a pole.

"Hi, I'm the new student who transferred from Sapporo Gakuin," Mikan began as she handed the papers to the pink-haired woman.

The woman grunted, disinterested. In the background, clerks noiselessly clattered on their keyboards, tuning into the silent buzz as student aids watched invisible paint dry on the walls.

Mikan scratched her head. "I was wondering if I could see Izumi Yukihira."

Finally, the office clerk responded by raising an eyebrow. "You want to see the president of Alice University?"

She nodded furiously. "My name is Mikan Sakura. I'm..uh his niece."

The clerk's eyes widened. "Oh…oh! M-Mikan? Sakura? Oh, uhm, oh dear." She scrambled madly, looking for something as she pulled out a pair of reading glasses. With a flick, she pulled out the desired document and scanned the context. "Ah, your name is here. He has a meeting right now though…." She hesitantly looked up to Mikan. "He's busy at the moment….my apologies."

"It's ok," she cheerfully replied, "When will Uncle Izumi be done?"

The clerk smiled guiltily. "Depending on how well the meeting will go….I would say, three hours at minimum….?"

Mikan froze instantaneously. Her first class would begin in an hour. Suddenly, the heat rushed back as she tried to protest, "This…I can't-I have class—"

"That's alright. Ah, Sumi—"

"I have dance practice soon. How can Uncle Izumi—" Mikan fretted. "He promised me he was going to greet me and buy me chicken wings for lunch!"

The rest of the office members looked over curiously at the commotion. The woman noticed and turned back to the frantic brunette. "She will he—"

"I'm so hungry too! I was waiting all day for chicken wings too! They're my source of energy, they're my life—"

"What's with you and chicken wings?! Not the point, but I will ask—" As usual, Mikan cut her off again.

"What's with chicken wings and me?! What's with chicken—ok. Chicken wings are the bomb-diggity," she dramatically raised her hands, "Wings equal protein and happiness. And protein and happiness equal my abilities' birth." A few students, who didn't know what to do, clapped in a confused yet awed manner. "So you see…..uh….Mrs….Excuse me, what is your name?"

The woman twitched an eye. "Misaki is fine."

"Ah!" Mikan clapped her hands happily. "So you see, Mrs. Misaki, that is why, in my personal opinion, chicken wings are—"

Finally, Misaki slammed her palm on the desk, causing a deafening crack to echo within the buzzed silence. "First of all, shut your mouth. Second of all, I'M NOT A MRS! I'M PROBABLY FIVE YEARS OLDER THAN YOU, AND I'M…still single," she suddenly dropped to a whisper but continued loudly, "THIRD OF ALL, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU HAVE AN INFATUATION WITH CHICKEN WINGS! AS I WAS GOING TO SAY, BEFORE I WAS RUDELY INTERRUPTED TWO TIMES, SUMIRE WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY!" Misaki whipped a finger at a green-haired girl, who suddenly took interest in staring at her lap.

"Oh, thanks, are you Sumire?" Mikan asked, oblivious to Misaki's cracking form, "Nice to meet you!"

The girl dragged her eyes away from her lap and snorted when she scanned her clothes, making Mikan self-conscious. "Couldn't you have picked a better outfit? And you're damn late. I had to wait for your sorry ass."

Mikan twitched in annoyance. Unconsciously, her mouth shot off. "Couldn't you have picked a better attitude?" She blinked in surprise at her own response, and a few bystanders whistled in approval.

Mikan had expected hatred to be emitted from her, but instead she found the permy-haired girl in a collected manner.

"Cool, I have a spunky roommate." The girl named Sumire grinned widely at the confused Mikan, but she dropped to back to a frown. "Seriously though, we're going shopping. I don't approve of _that_."

"And that was Sumire Shouda's test of approval, no formal introduction required," Misaki sighed, shaking her pink locks side to side.

Sumire only rolled her emerald eyes in response. "Fine. I'm Sumire. You're Mikan. We're roommates. Bam, done. Done, Misaki." Emphasizing her sarcasm, she clapped her hands once and smirked.

"And we're going shopping," Mikan added.

Her eyes glittered. "Oh em gee yes, and we're shopping buddies. See? She catches on pretty quick." Without a moment's hesitation, she strutted over to Mikan and picked up two lollipops from a nearby basket. She popped one in her mouth while tossing the other to the brunette. "Your stuff has already arrived. I'll lead you to our room and give you a directory map if you haven't already picked one up." And without waiting for Mikan's stuttering response, she opened the glass door and walked out into the microwaved heat. The two watched her shrinking back.

"Wow, I think she forgot to wait for me."

"It's ok. She tries to act really cool towards newbies here, but in reality, she's a bit of a sassy ditz," Misaki explained. Then in a hushed tone, she added, "…especially towards _him._ "

" _Him?_ Why so much stress on _him_?"

"Just wait for it," the coral hair woman muttered. "Hyuuga's gonna appear any second."

"Hyuuga?" she began before Misaki clamped her mouth shut. She didn't know what was going on, and she needed to organize her belongings stat, despite her curiosity for Hyuuga. But as she blinked, she directed her gaze back to Sumire and unclasped the fingers from her face. "Who's Hyuuga?"

"Three, two, one," Misaki counted from her fingers.

And just as she struck one, a lean muscular figure appeared from the corner and in sight from the Administration building's transparent windows. His plain ivory shirt plastered against his chest and emphasized the definition of his toned muscles, much to Mikan's embarrassment. What stood out most was his crimson-red eyes that pierced from a distance in contrast to his obsidian hair. He was handsome. Indeed very handsome. Until Mikan made out his scowling expression that resulted in the obliteration of his pre-beautiful image.

"Is it the heat?" Mikan asked out of curiosity.

"Huh? The hottest guy on campus is model-strutting this way, and all you can comment on is the damn heat?" She threw up her hands in exasperation.

"I mean he is pretty hot," the brunette admitted, "but his expression is quite the opposite."

Following Mikan's analysis, Misaki turned back to the advancing raven-haired male, who was still dragging himself towards the Administration door. "Yea, he looks like he's constipated. But whatever, he's hot and that's all that matters."

"Aren't you a staff member?" Mikan deadpanned.

"Hey, nothing wrong with a single woman in her mid-twenties checking out hotties. Oh and by the way, your roommate's hitting on him now."

Mikan glanced to find the once-cool green-haired model to be on her knees drooling at the angry, constipated—as Misaki had termed—male. Sumire tripped when she hopped over to Hyuuga-boy's side and quickly scrambled to her feet. With a visible and inaudible squeal, she clung to his arm with a happy, flushed face while he shook her off with an irritated scowl.

"That, Mikan," Misaki turned to the brunette, "is Sumire's third personality: Hyuuga mod—"

"You're drooling, Misaki," she interfered.

The pink-haired woman blushed and furiously wiped at her mouth. "Sorry, I looked at him for too long. He's cute even though he's a brat."

"You mean me?" A pair of toned arms wrapped themselves around the woman's waist as a head drooped down to the crook of her neck. "Misaki," he purred. Mikan had to look away from the couple with a blushing face.

"Oh Tsubasa," she answered rather stoically. With a swift spin, she untangled herself from his arms and landed a pin-pointed punch on his face, earning his pained grunt. "That was for sexual harassment, but I digress. I need you to fill these forms out for the choir students."

"Ah, for the New York City trip?" Tsubasa asked with a swollen eye as he turned to the still-flushed Mikan. "Oh who are you?"

"Uh-I-I'm M-Mikan," she stammered.

"No need to be scared around me, cutie." He winked a bit flirtatiously. "I'm Tsubasa, student teacher for choir."

"You've already intimidated her. Nice job," the woman rolled her eyes and smacked him on the back. They modeled a married couple, to Mikan's interest. But she thought….

"I thought you were single, Misaki," Mikan blurted out, causing the woman to flush the same color as her hair.

"We're not like that! We're acquaintances! Tell her, Tsubasa!" she shouted.

Instead of complying, he grinned and shot a fist in the air. "I'm not friend-zoned yet!" And earned himself a smack in the head.

The bell tinkled in response to the opened door. An irritated Hyuuga-boy and a blissful Sumire appeared in the midst of their attention. The crimson-eyed boy, in seeing Tsubasa, growled.

"Tsubasa."

"Natsume." He tipped his head in acknowledgement. A tense atmosphere condensed inside the room, but Tsubasa's demeanor suddenly transformed. "Why do you not address me formally?" he whined.

"Stop screwing around with me!" he roared.

Tsubasa innocently cocked his neck to the side. "With what, Natsume?"

"This!" He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his jeans pocket and smashed it on Misaki's counter. "You signed me up for fucking dance minor!"

"OH~~ THAT! PFFTT!" Tsubasa flapped his hands at Natsume.

"Get. This. Out. Of. My. Schedule," he growled menacingly, much to Mikan's fright for her first impression of this…Natsume-Hyuuga guy. Scowl, growl, slam, yep.

"But you looked so cute dancing in that sketchy, dark alleyway," the sapphire-eyed male sighed. "What was that called again? Beakdancing?" Mikan's ears perked up. Dancing?

"It's BREAKdancing. You better get this out of my schedule, old man," he warned.

"Or else….?"

"I'll make your life a living hell," Natsume snarled. It didn't help when Sumire patted his arm because he immediately swatted her hand away. "Why the fuck are you still next to me? Get out."

Her emerald eyes watered as she obediently trudged back outside.

"Hey, don't treat my roommate like that!" Mikan seethed. After realizing she had spoken to the scariest person on earth, she bit her lips and clenched her hands.

His crimson orbs swiveled to Mikan. "Who are you?"

"The roommate of that heartbroken girl and the defender of dance major," she announced, secretly admiring and hating on her courage.

Misaki gasped next to her. "Mikan, you're majoring in dance?"

"Yep, and this person will not diss my major," she hissed, glaring at Natsume, who glowered in return.

"Speaking of dance," Tsubasa interrupted, "it's starting right now."

"Wait what?" Mikan looked like a deer in headlights. "CRAP! I STAYED HERE FOR TOO LONG! WHERE IS THE DANCE DEPARTMENT?!"

"Actually it's pretty close. Natsume, you good-for-nothing student, go with Mikan. You both have dance with Narumi."

He hissed. "Why should I go?"

"Well, I don't know. Because it's on your schedule?" Tsubasa sardonically answered.

"I'm ditching, you old fartbag."

"I am not a bag filled with E. Coli gas production. I am not old…yet. And you are not ditching unless you want to go back to that sorry-ass place." Suddenly, his blue eyes turned frostily cold. "Do you?"

For the first time, Natsume hesitated before turning back to his fiery glare. "Do you always use that bastard as a threat?" And with that, he whipped around and slammed the door behind him, tossing the helpless bell back and forth.

An awkward tension stretched itself over the office room as bystanders went back to work.

"Well!" Tsubasa reverted back to his cheerful form. "You better follow him, Mikan. He'll go there for sure."

"But—" she began.

"No but's!" He gently nudged her out towards the door. "He's one moody kid, but he won't do anything to you. Go on and enjoy class! You'll love Narumi."

Mikan stepped back into the drenching heat wave as she felt her eyelids droop to midway. Already exhausted in her first step, she stumbled after the distant fuming figure.

She was going to love class? Her hazel eyes tiredly looked up at Natsume's back.

Because she already doubted it.

 **O w O**

 **(A/N: This is a completely experimental fanfiction, I don't know. Totally blank. Life. AP classes. Yea. Thanks for reading! Not sure if I should get going with my first fanfiction. Have a nice day? Yea? Yea. YAY! xD) Most awkward person on earth.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Mikan's POV(because why not)

"We're heading to the dance room, right?" My eyes trailed the back of the tall, handsome, dreamy, lean, not Arnold-Schwarzenegger-muscular, beautiful….The list could go raving on about that guy's positive physical attributes.

"Shut up."

…That is, until you get to his personality traits. I scowled in response and ran a little to match his graceful strides. "That's rude."

"Hn."

"….We're are though, right?" I squeaked. It was a relief when we entered the Music building. Despite its average outward appearance, it was filled with corridors, monotonous doors, spiral staircases, and noises of instruments, voice, and drama prose that clashed with each other. And in contrast to the messy cacophony, the walls were untouched with colors and remained a pure yet stagnant white. This whole building was a paradox.

Suddenly, I ran into his back and smacked my nose against his scapula. Why does he have to be so damn tall?

"Why'd you stop?" I demanded, rubbing my poor nose.

He gave me a pointed look. "Because we're here, you idiot."

"….Oh." I turned to the door on the right and wiggled the doorknob. It was locked, so I gave him a frown.

Natsume rolled his crimson eyes. "Left door, idiot."

"Hey, I'm new here. Give me a break, and stop calling me an idiot," I grumbled and veered towards the said door.

"If people act like an idiot, then I have to call them an idiot." With a swift motion, he cut in front of me and grabbed the doorknob as I smacked my nose—again—on his OTHER scapula bone. He faced me with a small scowl. "Stop sniffing me, you perverted girl."

"WHAT?" I felt myself growing red from embarrassment and anger. "Ok, I have absolutely no intention," I jabbed my finger into his chest for emphasis, "of smelling your damn pungency. The first one was an accident when I ran into your stupid back, BUT the second time, YOU…" I poked him a couple of times more, "…ran in FRONT of ME. So it was YOUR fault and not MINE." My finger was in pain from jabbing his rock-hard chest, but I ignored it and crossed my arms at him.

"Mhm…yea, right." He rolled his eyes again and opened the door. Shouts of 'Natsume!' (assuming they were all girls') proliferated in the dance room.

"Be my partner today!" some horny teenage girl yelled.

"Yoohoo, Natsume! Over here~~" came the voice of an even hornier girl.

"See? I told you he was coming to dance!"

"Natsunniee~~"

"Oh my dear Natsu…"

"Natsume…."

"Natsu-pie…"

"HAVE MY DAMN BABIES, HYUUGA!" Some random guy screamed.

Natsume muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. Then with a pause, he sighed, "I'm coming in…" Screams of joy pealed in the dance room as He entered the room. I expected him to hold it open for me, but before I could step one foot in, he shut the door.

I gaped and sucked a deep breath when I saw a smirk form from his profile. That damn son of a bench…. I glared at him with all my might through the door's transparent window—if only looks could kill, he would be the rug to my living room.

"Oh, Natsume. Where's the new girl? I thought she came with you." I distinguished a mature male voice through the muffling of the closed door. "Did you scare her off?"

"Don't know. Don't care. Don't give a damn." He shrugged and walked towards a group of sweaty fangirls.

"Oh…I see, I'll give Misaki a call." But Natsume wasn't listening. He was instead strutting around like he was king of the world, surrounded by hormones and giving off pheromones.

To say I was angry was a mere understatement. Oh, I was beyond furious—that still was an understatement. I felt like the flames that scorched the deep hells of Titans—the flames that burned immortally through the hands of Prometheus. I was the flames of hell that damned Luther to his eternal seal from the heavens—the fiery chains that melted him into Satan…

A small squeak of fright interrupted my thoughts as I turned my head, facing a frightened-to-his-wits student.

"Oh, hi. I—"

"I S-S-SWEAR I DI-DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! PLEASEDON'THURTMEBYEEEEEEEEEeeee….!" The unknown student sped off into the hallway and disappeared from my sight, leaving me in the dust. I looked at my reflection in the transparent window and realized I had clamped fists, rigid muscles, furrowed eyebrows, and clenched teeth curled into a malicious snarl.

Going overboard might have been an understatement.

 **O w O**

"Soooooo class, meet Mikan Sakura who will be joining us~!" The instructor named Narumi squealed as he pushed me to the front, much to my chagrin. "Make her feel at home."

The class looked at me as if I were an alien, especially that raven-haired son of a bench. Even though I wasn't making direct eye contact, I could feel his two blood-red orbs drilling holes into my shoulder.

"Uh. Hi. Ahahahah…" I earned even more judgmental stares.

"Ah good, good. Now we can get along just fine." The blond male clapped eagerly. "For the first fifteen minutes, do your own warm-up exercises because Narumi's going to work you guys to the bone!" The students muttered as they dispersed from Natsume and formed equidistant rows and columns.

"Hey, you. The brunette." I turned to the voice and found a strawberry-blonde woman raising an eyebrow at me. "Do you like that guy?" She jerked a thumb towards that son of a bench, who become preoccupied in a conversation.

I narrowed my eyes instantly. "Are you kidding me?"

"Just answer my damn question, brunette."

"Of course I don't. What makes you think I would like HIM?" I scoffed.

I expected her to go all cat-fight mode from my negativity—since she was one of the people who hogged Natsume—but instead, she gave a slight smirk. "Good. Stay out of my way, and you can be my friend."

"…Yea, whatever." I didn't say anything back to her 'friend' comment. Somehow my indifferent comment bruised her, and she looked ready to claw out my eyes.

"Listen, brun—"

"Luna, why aren't you warming up? Go back to your spot," Narumi reprimanded her. I was grateful that he interfered, and I sucked in a sigh of relief when she reluctantly obeyed. "You too, Mikan. Go next to Natsume to warm-up." I gawked at Narumi as he continued, "I'm going to have to test you after practice to see where your level is."

Scratch that, I'm not grateful to this man at all.

"Mikan?"

"…B-b-bu…." I began.

"Bu- what?" Narumi tilted his head in confusion.

"I—you…well—ju—never mind," I sighed dejectedly. Arguing with the teacher on the first day typically does not end well. I ended up walking over to my assigned spot. I didn't mind that he was going to test my abilities. It was just….this….

"Ew," he said when I positioned myself next to him.

"Ew to you too." I cracked my spine a couple of times and bent down to place my palms on the ground.

"Aren't you the flexible one?"

I ignored him. As I remember the wise aphorisms of my father, handle unbearable people with the silent treatment.

"Hn."

Mentally ticked, I refrained myself from strangling him, so I did a couple of lunges.

"What a noob."

I jogged a couple of times in the same spot, raising my knees each time to my hipline.

"The whole dance floor is trembling from your gigantic stomps."

I couldn't hold it out anymore. "Can you just shut your trap for the rest of the class period?!" I exclaimed.

"No."

"UGH!" I threw up my hands and stomped over to the dance bars. I leaned on the sturdiness and pushed myself to an elevated plank position, trying not to explode when I heard scuffles heading towards me.

"Noob pushups."

"It's a plank," I retorted.

"Planks are noob pushups."

"Can you just leave me alone?" I snapped. "Why are you suddenly a jerky stalker? You didn't talk much when we were on the way here."

He fell silent.

"..W-what?" I demanded when I saw his eyes staring back in the mirror. I whipped around and glared. "Go away and stop following me, you hypocritical pervert."

"…Hn."

I scoffed at his grunt and turned back to the mirror, only to see Luna's murderous face shooting fireballs at my reflection. Her face suddenly transformed into the fakest smile when she met my eyes.

That bitch. I knew she wasn't good business.

"Can you go bother Luna or someone? She looks like she's ready to kill me."

"That's nice."

I growled, "Can't you just join her? She can have you, and I can get rid of you. It'd be a symbiotic mutualism."

"It'd be commensalism for me though."

"Mutualism," I corrected, "her obsession for you will be enough to feed your damn ego." I felt proud of my comeback. How's he going to respond to th—

"Do you hate me?" he suddenly asked.

It surprised the hell out of me and caused me to choke on air. I cleared my throat and returned to glaring at his stupid face. "Do I hate you? Well, if I admit that I do, I think it'd be an understatement."

He bit his lips.

"Hmph." I worked on some squats.

"Look," he began hesitantly and paused.

I glowered at him. "What now?"

"…S-uh…" He twitched an eyebrow.

This guy. I sat down and gently eased myself into a split position. "Spill your damn mouth, jerk."

He ignored my insults and took a giant breath in. "Look…sorry for being rude when you just got to school. I got pissed at what Tsubasa did, so yea, I took it out on you…" Natsume scratched his head awkwardly as I openly gaped at him.

This guy was apologizing to me. What the hell? I contorted my face in confusion.

"…Stop morphing your face like that. It's weird." He swiveled his eyes away and took interest in staring at the wall. "Anyways…sorry…for the random insults too."

I felt my muscles loosen as my lips pulled into a small goofy grin. I couldn't help it. This was just too funny and surprisingly adorable. "Ok then. I accept your awkward apology," I answered, trying to stifle a laugh.

"The effort it took was a bruise to my egoism," he muttered.

I rolled my eyes and laughed openly. "Go away, you weirdo. Seriously though, go to Luna. I can feel her emotions stabbing me right now."

"Then are we on good terms?"

"Ok terms." I grinned.

"I see…" The tension from his body disappeared as I blinked. I didn't even realize he was that tense. But I shook my head and continued stretching my stiff muscles. I expected him to be heading towards Luna, but he remained rooted to his spot.

"Do you need anything else…?" I curled my legs into a mermaid position and hopped up.

"….Don't mind me asking this but…." He scrutinized me with a frowning expression.

"Hm? Ask away," I cheerfully replied.

"Well," his expression turned quizzical, "….Are you on your period? That might expla—"

He immediately ducked when I swung a leg at his face.

 **O w O**

 **(A/N: So I decided to do Chapter 2 because I was really happy when I read the six reviews and saw the follows and the favorite hehe. They really brightened up my day and motivated me to write, even though Chapter 2 is significantly shorter than Chapter 1. I'm going to give a personal thanks to each person who reviewed. Seriously, you don't know how happy that makes me, so thank you!**

StarElsie-You were the first reviewer and I was like ermahgawd SDAFAJGLSF I HAVE A REVIEW. -HOLDS LAPTOP UP TO THE HOLY LIGHT- So thank you haha!

riaanaa-Tsubasa's also one of my fav characters. He's just so fun and playful and flexible to write about anddd...hot. LOL. I'm glad you thought my characters were good. Thank you for your review and your favorite!

chewybillabong-I will update! XD Thank you!

shatter-I'm glad you thought it was a successful experiment! I will try to continue it, but for now, I'm going concentrate a little on ACT and SAT II subjects and my classes' final projects. XD Thank you though!

Guest-Thank you so much for your time to comment! Your positivity especially brightened my day haha! And I will try to finish my first fanfiction. XD Hopefully it goes well lol!

iri-You use that word however you like to, gurl! Thank you! I'm glad you thought it was good. And yee they'd be dancing lololol. Hopefully I can write the dance scenes. If not, whelp LOL, gonna try to improve then! XD


	3. Chapter 3

(Third-person POV)

That jerky son of a bench!

The brunette plopped onto her bed and plucked off her clothes, changing into a white tank-top and Nike shorts. She couldn't believe he had said that to her face! What happened to a guy's eloquence of not asking a girl if she was on her menstruation?!

And she wasn't on it, for his information.

It was some time before the sun suddenly shifted its angle and blared its scorching flames through the window, sizzling Mikan on her bed. She scowled, muttering about the cons of Mother Nature. Why did her school have to start on one of the hottest months of the year?

At least it was a prestigious university of arts.

The slender brunette peeled herself off from her bed and hobbled off to the mini refrigerator buzzing. Opening it, a gale of frosty wind blasted her face, and she squealed in delight, hugging the household appliance. There were probably a million Naked juices sitting inside, from the vegetable color to something akin to a mango-orange. Her hand lingered on top, fluttering left to right, before she reluctantly pulled out a Dasini water bottle from the side.

As much as she wanted the juice, it wasn't hers to begin with. She didn't want to get off to a bad start with Sumire, especially if she was permanently going to be her roommate.

With a tug, the cap swung off from attachment, and she brought it to her chapped lips, feeling the icy cold water slide down into her stomach. At least she was hydrated and gained no calories.

Mikan set it aside and glanced at the clock. It was ten till two, so she had twenty minutes before heading back to the dance room, where she had to do whatever audition Narumi had set up for her. Too bad she still couldn't decide what to think of Narumi. He possessed one of the most angelic personalities in the world. But once you were a student in his dance class, it was some alter-ego that flung you three-sixty degrees into the air.

A door knock repeated itself three times, catching Mikan off-guard. "Sumire?" she called out.

No answer. She nervously stalked to the door, careful to not make a sound. With a small lean towards the door, she pressed her small face against the wooden surface and listened.

"When are you going to let me in?" A voice growled, nearly frightening her to death. To her surprise, it wasn't a sassy, feminine voice. Instead, it was baritone, masculine, and...

"Natsume," she addressed as she swung open the door, revealing a frowning man in the same clothes as she had seen him wear in the morning.

"New girl," he replied.

"New girl?!" the brunette squawked before shaking her head and jabbing her finger painfully into his rock-hard abs. "Don't tell me you forgot my name!"

"Not important right now. We're going back to the dance room. You're expected in..." he checked his watch. "...ten minutes."

"T-ten minutes?!" she squeaked before finding and flinging a light, camo-green jacket over her attire.

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "Are you ready?"

"Just a minute!" she yelled and hurriedly wrapped her hair into a sleek ponytail, snapping it in place with a black hairband. She scrambled her fingers into the pouch of her backpack to pull out two bobby pins and clipped back her bangs. Heaving a sigh, Mikan screeched to a halt in front of the handsome student and saluted. "Ready!" she barked.

It was not until a few seconds later that she noticed Natsume hovering over her and craning his neck. She squeezed her fists. "W-what?" she demanded.

Out of nowhere, a finger pushed a stray hair from her head down and flicked her exposed forehead, earning a yelp and a string of complaints afterwards. The crimson-eyed male scoffed and strutted down the corridors as a grumpy brunette locked her door and followed.

 **O w O**

"Ah, Mikan! How wonderful of you to join us today!" Narumi twirled lavishly from his box of equipment. "Yes yes, you must be nervous since we will determine which class you belong in: one, two, or ULTIMATE..." He paused dramatically. "...DANCE CREW!" He pointed at a clump of five students huddled in the corner like a stack of barnacles. One of them rolled her eyes.

"Oh," was all Mikan could manage.

"Even dance has a social hierarchy..." Natsume scoffed.

"I will be judging your skill by how you interpret whatever song that will come out. You will then dance until the song is complete," Narumi continued, ignoring the dark-haired male's comment. "Please perform-"

"What about me?" Natsume drawled.

"Oh, Mr. Natsume Hyuuga. I'm afraid I had already designated you to class one," the blond frowned.

"What?!" He looked positively outraged.

"You see, I've heard reports from Mr. Tsubasa that you were a lovely package of..." Narumi pursed his lips and sniffed, "...incompetence."

"Incompetence?! That bastard!" Natsume's eyes flared dangerously as he shoved Mikan aside and barreled through the door. A string of loaded language followed his path, eventually merging into the wails of trumpets and screeches of high-pitched violins.

"Well," Narumi perked in amusement, "now that Mr. Hyuuga will be on his second daily trip to the Administration building, though I'm surprised he hasn't ditched my class..."

So that's why he was there this morning, Mikan thought to herself. She was secretly smiling at the raven boy's short-fused temper before she saw Narumi heading towards the opposite side of the room.

"Wait!" Mikan yelped before scratching her head awkwardly, "is he really put into class one?"

The blond teacher raised an eyebrow. "He will be returning shortly to find that his audition is right after yours. But that aside, Miss Sakura, shall we begin your test?"

Inwardly sighing in relief for her friend, she tilted her head to each side, resulting in a well-heard crack. "Ready when you are."

"Good spirit." He nodded in approval and floated to the radio. Mikan gave an abrupt nod before sinking into a nirvana state. Her ears perked when a click sound was heard.

As a familiar techno music drifted over the music room, she couldn't help but smile widely. Instantly, her right foot shifted to each beat and her arms swung every other interval.

It was Sia's _Elastic Hearts_. Mikan waited for the first line as she readied herself.

 _And another one bites the dust, oh why can I not conquer love?_

Immediately, her left foot shot out at the first word. Her head tilted, and her fists clenched together, the right one moving in a circular direction. An arm shot out dramatically, swung until it landed near her heart as she pressed her head down to her chest level.

 _And I might have thought that we were one...Wanted to fight this war without weapons..._

Each beat in the backgrounds jolted something inside of her. A limb jerk or a piece of her heart that related to each word. She turned to her left, crouched, heaving another arm towards her heart, now heavily. Before it touched however, she whipped to her right and flung it down.

Now facing the front, Mikan shifted her right hand into a finger gun, jolting every beat that came after the end.

 _And I wanted it, I wanted it bad...But there were so many red flags..._

She spun, her auburn arms now cascading down her shoulders. Wherever the hairband went, she didn't care.

With a back arch of her spine, she drew a large circle with her arm to land near her shorts pocket. She pulled, swinging her hips, and used the other arm to push something away, something that was her burden or possibly her fear.

 _Now another one bites the dust...Yeah let's be clear, I'll trust no one._

Now her right foot shot out as she agonizingly clenched her hair. She arched back and pulled up front before encasing her arms around her heart. Her head swung in both directions, as if watching for whoever was nearby.

 _You did not break me, I'm still fighting for peace._

Mikan freely spun again, though cautious and focused wherever each of her foot landed. Her arms were out for balance as she purposely swung back and tottered a few steps before reverting to her original position. She whipped every limb out, fighting for whatever that peace was, and ended into a crouch for defense.

 _Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart...But your blade - it might be too sharp..._

 **O w O**

A million bullets of sweat trickled down his neck as he huffed, dragging himself near the Dance room. He was going to kill that blond pest, ticking him off and making him meet the other bastard's face. Plus, he had to walk almost a mile forth and back from the dormitories to the Music department.

The noisy cacophony of instruments blasted his ears off as usual. He walked down the hallway like usual too before his hands landed on the doorknob.

Natsume then hesitated when he saw a familiar brunette inside, dancing as if no one else was watching her.

 _I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard..._

His eyebrows raised in recognition of the pops tune. His crimson eyes followed each of her jerks and facial expressions: pain, relief, happiness...

 _Yea, I may snap and I move fast..._

She stumbled, dramatically clenching her chest in pain, and her legs worked their magic, twisting and followed by each bass knock.

The doorknob was beginning to warm from his body heat.

His mind wandered to his high school years, where he danced without a worry to the world. Hanging out with everyone and smiling instead of scowling, that's what Mikan reminded him of. Every night, he would sneak out to those dance battles, proud whenever the crowd whistled for him. His parents knew, but they smiled and never mentioned a word.

He really was happy.

 _But you won't see me fall apart._

Until they came, dressed in black, dragging him away from the two coffins. His ruby-red eyes rested on Mikan for a few more seconds before turning away and walking back the way he came in.

 _Cause I've got an elastic heart...I've got an elastic heart..._

 **O w O  
**

 **I've returned LOL. After the months of hiatus, I came back to fanfiction and reread some of my stories (which isn't a lot hehe). I'm surprised. I really liked how my experimental one came out (this one) and so I've decided to post the third chapter! By the way, thank you for the reviews omg. I'm flattered -blushes and flaps my hands- As always I'm gonna post them here and say a personal thank you!**

 ****By the way, how did I do on the dance scene? If you give me constructive criticism, please do! I would love that! Either PM me or post a helpful review :D ALSO before you move on, please tell me whether I should continue in first person or third person. I have honestly no idea which to do haha!  
**

 **Anilissa:** AHAHAHA The last part was funny. XD

 _ **Thank you! :3 I try to be funny, so I'm glad I (kinda) accomplished that :D**_

 **ilovebooksplusanimeplusstuff:** Please continue Equally awesome!

 ** _Thank you too! I'm glad you liked both chapters! Maybe you'll like the third? -desperate laugh-_**

 **Guest:** more! I love this so much! It's not everyday you see or read a fanfic wherein Natsume's actually NICE in some sort of awkward way. Totally nice. You know, for a change. Finally! There's a story worth reading. You don't know how long I've been looking for something to read. Imagine my delight when I came across Dancing with Demons. Thank you so much, blessifier! You are truly a blessing. THIS is truly a blessing. Looking forward to more chapters!

"Treat me like a Queen and I'll treat you like a King. But treat me like a game and I'll show you how it's played." - I'm a huge fan of quotes. I always put a quote when I make a review for the fanfics I REALLY like.

Feu :)

 ** _THank you Feu! Your long review has definitely impacted me the most when I read it hehe! I'm glad you like Natsume's awkwardness LOL. Tbh I wasn't sure if I should've had him apologize (cuz when does Natsume Hyuuga apologize, right? XD) THANK YOU! I'm so sorry for making you wait ;~; And I love your quote! I'll actually try to incorporate that into the story if I'm willing enough to continue it C:_**

 **Guest:** Awww I really like this. Please continue. **  
**

 **_Thank you! I'll try to! :DDD_**

 **Shatter:** okie dokie!  
After all, studies are more important!  
I loved the part where Natsu-pie apologized :p

 ** _Thank you for understanding! And thanks LOL! I'm surprised people like that :D_**

 **PeachyBalls143:** I like your story please update soon.

 ** _Thank you! I'll try to :D_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Natsume? Natsumee.." she called out, clucking her tongue as if looking for a lost cat. Natsume was supposed to return fifteen minutes ago for his audition, but there was no appearance of the dark-haired male. Mikan neared the Administration building and entered, sighing in relief of the cool-blasting air-conditioner.

Misaki peeked up from her desk. "Oh hey, Mikan. You're back again. What's up?"

"Hey Misaki, I was wondering if Natsume is still here," she said and looked around. No sight of Natsume. Only a few of the regular office members looked up, smiled, and continued on whatever they were scrutinizing with.

"Natsume? That brat?" Misaki asked, confused. "He got in a fight with Tsubasa again and stormed off awhile ago."

After thanking Misaki for the piece of information, the brunette set off again, stumbling in the blistering heat. Why couldn't the university start later and not in the peak of its summer heat? She walked behind the Science building and sat on a nearby bench, relieved from its massive infrastructure shade. It was a very nice spot to nap around, and she felt her eyelids droop heavily.

"Meow..."

Her eyes fluttered open, and her ears perked to the direction of the meow. She found herself staring at a black cat being petted by...Natsume. Mikan was about to pounce on him for ditching class, but she drank in the sight of the scene. He was scratching it affectionately behind its ears, and it brushed against his knees, meowing in pure happiness. They didn't take notice of the brunette.

Sniggering, Mikan popped out a phone and snapped a photo (and a video to further humiliate him). After stuffing it back into her pocket, she spoke up. "Is that your cat?"

The boy and cat both jumped in fright from the sudden voice as Natsume swiveled his gaze to her. "No," he replied and sheepishly took his hands off the purring cat. "I see this little guy time to time."

"Ah...I see... Here kitty, kitty~" she whispered, clapping her hands towards the black cat. It looked at her, sniffed pompously, and pranced away. "Rude!" Mikan exclaimed after the strutting cat.

Natsume coughed to hide a laugh. "Youchi rarely hates anyone. So you're the first."

"Stupid Youchi," she muttered, crossing her arms and feeling dejected after the cat's rejection. "Anyways," she continued, "why are you here? Tsubasa should've told you your audition was after mine."

He merely shrugged and slumped into the bench next to Mikan. "Just felt like ditching."

"...Narumi's still waiting for you. So if you don't want to be put in dance one..." Mikan said, letting the words linger in the air. While she spoke, she couldn't help but blush when the male plopped down next to her. Even though they were in the shade, her heart thumped wildly, and a new heatwave emitted from the pit of her stomach. Only a few inches of space separated them.

Feeling a bit woozy, Mikan purposely adjusted her position to scoot away a few more inches. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt attracted to his physical features. The lean, muscular body and soft raven hair paired with crimson-red eyes could set any girl's heart on fire. She gawked when he ruffled his shirt from the environmental heat.

Natsume didn't notice her reaction as he continued, "Dance is a minor for me anyways. It doesn't matter."

"But dance is..." She bit her lips. "Didn't you feel angered...when Narumi said you were automatically placed in dance one?"

That put him on the spot. He hesitated in the brief silence.

"Thought so," Mikan sighed. "I don't know why you're suddenly unmotivated. If you're not going back to dance, Narumi is giving you three days to go audition. I'm going back. See you." She stood up stiffly and walked away to the Music building, not before hearing a reply that caused an explosion of red on her face.

"See you, Mikan."

 **O w O**

"Congratulations, Mikan! As expected of one who's majoring in Dance, you have been selected to be a part of Dance Crew!" Narumi clapped joyously. The five other members also began to clap when Narumi shot them a glare.

"Ah, thanks," Mikan smiled.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ruka." A prince-like blond male stood up and majestically (was that even possible?) strolled in front of Mikan while holding up a hand. "It's a pleasure for you to be here with us," he spoke silkily.

"T-thanks!" she stuttered nervously, intimidated by his elegant posture.

"And I'm Kokoroyomi! But you can just call me Koko, Miki!" Another boy popped up next to Ruka. He had a playful, boyish attitude, and a goofy smile spread across his cheeks. She breathed a sigh of relief and grinned when Koko slapped her gently on the back.

"You two are intimidating her! Well, mostly Ruka." Another voice chimed in, reprimanding in tone. The source was a beautiful pink-haired girl with cyan eyes that twinkled in the dance lights. "I'm Anna Umenomiya and this..." She pointed to an equally beautiful blue-haired girl with straight hair and neatly cut bangs. "...is Nonoko Ogasawara. We're cousins~"

"Nice to meet you guys," Mikan said in awe, jealously admiring their well-kept figures. She then noticed the fifth member, another pretty girl with a dark pixie-cut. She currently was fidgeting with a machine that was in the shape of a gun and pointed it towards the door and shot it. Mikan watched the bullet ricochet off a door and smack Ruka on the forehead. He rubbed the wounded spot in a confused manner and didn't seem angered.

"Annnddd...last but not least, that's Hotaru Imai," Anna introduced with a sigh. She then dropped to a whisper. "Gotta be careful around her. She's in love with money. Any embarrassing moment that happens to you, she will snap photos, print a million copies, and distribute them to students for cash. She's known as the blackmail queen."

Mikan gaped, not knowing how to process the information.

"And her major is actually engineering. I'm not quite sure why-OW!" A plastic bullet landed clean on Anna's forehead and deflected to hit Ruka again on the same spot.

"I can introduce myself, Anna," Hotaru coldly replied and entered the conversation. She had violet eyes - Mikan noticed - that gave off a mysterious and dark aura. Hotaru peered at Mikan, who gulped. "You. You're the new member?" she asked.

"Yea," the brunette squeaked.

The dark-haired female then pranced around her, inspecting as she tapped Mikan's calves, arms, and abs. With little hums and nods, Hotaru finally stopped in front of her. "She has a good build," she announced and patted Mikan's shoulder.

"Er. Thanks." Mikan offered.

"As you have heard from Anna, I take pictures of people's most embarrassing moments," Hotaru unashamedly said. "If you don't want to embarrass yourself, practice and don't mess up when I'm here."

The brunette began sweating profoundly, remembering frequent instances of her crashing, tripping, and smacking into the random-est of things. "Isn't there a deal we can make?" she nervously asked.

"Speak and I shall decide," Hotaru narrowed her eyes.

Scrambling for her phone, Mikan looked through and smiled evilly at a certain photo. That's what he gets for ditching, Mikan sang to herself and pulled Hotaru to the side, much to the curiosity of the other dance members. The brunette pulled up a photo of Natsume affectionately petting a black cat. "How much will this last me?" she asked.

Hotaru's purple eyes widened as her fingers gripped the phone. "Where was this?" she demanded.

"Back of Science building. Took this twenty minutes ago," Mikan replied smugly.

The blackmail queen looked at Mikan. "A year."

"Two years of immunity," the brunette insisted. "Two years of immunity. I'm not even shooting for four."

"One year."

"Two. Final offer before I take away this photo."

Hotaru scowled, "Fine, two years it is. That's only because Hyuuga's the catch around here."

The brunette laughed lightly. "Then it's a deal. Two years. Remember that. Want me to send it to you?"

"No need," Hotaru replied and took out a pair of glasses from her pocket. She placed them on and clicked a button on the right frame as a little snap sound resulted. "I have the photo now."

Mikan openly gaped at her as Hotaru walked back to the group. Dear lord, she was up-to-date with all of the technology.

"So how did it go?" Anna squeaked as Mikan stood by her. "Did she do anything to you? What were you guys talking about? Tell me!"

Full of smugness, Mikan whispered into her ear, "Two years of immunity. Hotaru can't take any embarrassing photos of me now."

"What?!" All of the group members (except Hotaru, who hummed as she cleaned her invention) crowded around the brunette with openly shocked faces. "How did you do it?!" Koko demanded.

"Skill." Mikan couldn't help but feel like she was on top of the world. Somehow, making a successful bargain with the blackmail queen was considered a huge success. However at the same time, she felt very sorry for Natsume.

"Hey," Everyone turned around to Hotaru, even though the queen was only addressing the brunette. "Remember, this offer goes invalid two years from now on August 15th at 12:13 PM. I am strict with timelines."

"Yep!" Mikan gave her a thumbs-up and grinned when Hotaru gave a ghost of a smile.

 **O w O**

* * *

 **A/N: Lame update, I know. Sorry. I don't know where I want this fanfic to go for now because of this huge writer's block (whatever people call it).**

 **Anyways, to let you guys know, I will update** ** _The World is Still Beautiful or Buttiful._** **It will be next in my list (I know right? I haven't touched that one in forever). And after that, I shall update** ** _Her Gaming Life in GA._** **Just a heads-up. Thank you for reading! C: And thank you very much for the reviews!**

 **-blessifier**


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